GreenTech Metals has snagged rock chips going up to 1.82 per cent lithium oxide over a combined 11.5km of strike at its North Kobe and South Pegmatite zones in the West Pilbara. The results demonstrate the elevated lithium grades and potential scale opportunity offered by LCT pegmatites in Greentech’s 100 per cent owned Ruth Well and adjoining Osborne tenements, the latter of which is just 25km west along strike from the Azure Minerals massive Andover lithium discovery.
Azure set the market alight earlier this year after hitting 200m long mineralised drill intersections and it has now tabled an impressive exploration target at Andover of between 100 and 240 million tonnes grading between 1 and 1.5 per cent Lithium Oxide.
GreenTech is onto two major spodumene-bearing pegmatite swarms on its ground that stretch across two adjoining tenements 20km south of Karratha, in the West Pilbara.
GreenTech has mapped and sampled lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites trending east-west over 6km of strike at the northern Kobe prospect within its Ruth Well project. The pegmatites extend 1.5km further east onto the Osborne tenement, owned in equal Joint Venture (JV) with Artemis. Significant rock chips at the project of up to 1.82 per cent Lithium Oxide, 93 parts per million tantalum (ppm) oxide and 114 ppm niobium oxide look like they are screaming to be drill tested.
The Southern Pegmatite zone is located 7km south-east of the Kobe zone within the Osborne JV tenement and outcrops east-west over 3km. Three strike trends of pegmatites have been identified to date; east-west Maddox, north west Osborne and the south west Wally trend. Some lithium oxide rock chip assays are elevated between 2.3ppm to 3.63ppm and surface pegmatite widths up to 40m have been mapped.
GreenTech has demonstrated grid soil sampling on a 100m by 750m spacing which is a useful first-pass tool to screen large areas and define targets for detailed exploration follow-up in the Pilbara.
Additionally, GreenTech has leveraged the lithium exploration and development expertise of the Obsidian Metals Group (OMG) to guide the West Pilbara lithium exploration program. OMG was previously involved in the Mt Cattlin Spodumene mine brought online by Galaxy who later merged with Allkem and Livent in a $15 billion deal. The company’s partnership with experienced OMG personnel is utilising technical experience and extensive contacts throughout the global lithium industry.
An initial heritage survey is now complete and preparations are well advanced to drill test the Kobe and South Pegmatite zones before year’s end.
GreenTech Metals Executive Director Tom Reddicliffe said: “We are encouraged by these latest assays from our West Pilbara lithium projects which confirm the scale and mineralisation potential of our tenements. Importantly, these high-grade assays further demonstrate the prospectiveness within the 7.5km strike at our Kobe Prospect, and we are confident that further exploration and drilling will lead to more discoveries.”
“In light of SQM’s proposed A$1.6B acquisition of Azure Minerals Limited, the West Pilbara is truly cementing its position as one of the world’s premier jurisdictions for hard rock lithium exploration. GreenTech is looking forward to unlocking the true potential of its tenure in this highly prospective region.”
GreenTech is one of a handful of small-capped companies surrounding Azure’s extraordinary lithium discovery in the Pilbara that have all been getting good colour in their rock chips – no doubt the work of the truth diviner will be highly anticipated across multiple projects in the area when the rest start to lean into comprehensive drill campaigns.
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By Rohan Halfpenny
